Archive for February, 2009

In software news, Apple has released the much-anticipated improvement to the iLife suite.
iLife ’09 contains some new Mac essentials. iPhoto received facial recognition, geotagging, and social networking integration; iMovie added more advanced tools and GarageBand can provide music lessons.
iPhoto seems to be the application that headlines the suite and the additions to its capabilities have been well-received. Although the system is far from perfect, the facial recognition software works very well. It will take the user a bit of “training” but once the software is calibrated, the recognition engine will examine a photo library a determine “who’s who”. iPhoto will also geotag photos taken with a GPS-enabled camera (ex. iPhone) and seamlessly upload photos to Facebook or Flickr. Another improvement within iPhoto is the photo-retouching tool set.
The improvements don’t stop at iPhoto. iMovie has regained the capabilities it had prior to the ’08 version, due to the outcry from many Mac users. GarageBand gets some major star power with music lessons from genuine recording artists; and iWeb makes it easier to design your personal Web site.
iLife ’09 is a great application suite for editing and organizing various media types. Additional features like face recognition, geotagging, and music lessons substantially improve its capabilities. Overall, iLife ’09 is a must-have for Mac enthusiasts.
To purchase iLife ’09, visit the Campus Computer Store: http://ccs.usask.ca/newapple/software/